Latest news with #InternationalRefugeeAssistanceProject
The South African
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The South African
1000 Afrikaners prioritised for US refugee status
The US administration, under President Donald Trump, is expected to welcome 1000 Afrikaner 'refugees' this year as part of its resettlement programme. This comes after two groups of white South Africans were granted asylum in America over their 'fear of persecution' and claims of 'racial discrimination' in the country. Meanwhile, in a controversial move, Trump has indefinitely halted refugees from other countries earlier this year. According to the Washington Post, US authorities have pledged to resettle around 1000 Afrikaner 'refugees' in the coming months. The group will be prioritised above any other countries that have applied for the US Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP) The resettlement process is expected to run until the end of September. According to the publication, the Trump administration will also move to block 160 refugees who were scheduled to travel to the US ahead of the February ban. Another 1200 had been vetted and had their flights booked to arrive in the US after the ban was imposed. International Refugee Assistance Project attorney Melissa Keaney said of the administration: 'It simply doesn't want to process any other refugee populations other than white Afrikaners'. More white South Africans are expected to take up Trump's refugee status. Image: Saul Loeb / AFP. While US authorities claim that refugee status is open to all 'racial minorities' in South Africa, the first two groups that have resettled abroad have been from the white population. Despite initially being targeted at Afrikaner farmers and white people, US authorities have since included coloured, Indian, and 'mixed-race' South Africans. Applicants must prove that they are 'persecuted' South Africans who are victims of 'racial discrimination'. Jaco Kleynhans, of the Solidarity Movement, stated that many Afrikaners had applied for refugee status. He told the media earlier this month: 'Several more groups will fly to the USA over the next few weeks. The US Embassy in Pretoria, in collaboration with the State Department in Washington, DC, is currently processing 8,000 applications. And we expect many more Afrikaner refugees to travel to the USA over the next few months. 'They are settling in states across the USA, but particularly southern states such as Texas, North and, South Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.' He continued: 'Our primary focus is not refugee status for Afrikaners. But rather to find ways to ensure a free, safe, and prosperous future for Afrikaners in South Africa. We remain 100% convinced that South Africa can and must create a home for all its people.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Herald Scotland
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump's travel ban: Countries singled out in 2017 and 2025
It was the first travel ban issued by Trump in his second presidential term. Trump ordered three travel bans against predominantly Muslim nations during his first administration. Those were contested in federal district and appeals courts. The Supreme Court upheld Trump's third travel ban in June 2018. Trump later expanded that ban by adding six nations in January 2020. A review of the 12 nations banned Wednesday shows half have been targeted in previous bans. Here's what USA TODAY found. Which nations did Trump ban or restrict? Can't view our graphics? Click here to see them. Lower courts overturned the first two bans for apparent religious or racial motivations, before the Supreme Court upheld the third ban in 2018. President Joe Biden repealed the ban in 2021. Which nation have been targeted in current and previous travel bans? Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen have been specified in past travel bans. Wednesday's ban included Eritrea, which Trump included in his expanded list of targeted nations in 2020. Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Myanmar, and the Republic of Congo have not been singled out in previous bans. Countries subject to US travel restrictions on multiple occasions Travel restrictions do not apply to those: Possessing visas that have already been granted. Lawful permanent residents. Certain athletes. Immediate family members of current visa holders. Other classes of individuals for whom the administration granted exceptions. The International Refugee Assistance Project, a group that sued Trump in 2017, criticized the new ban as arbitrary for making exceptions for athletes traveling to the U.S. for sporting events such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, "while closing the door to ordinary people who've gone through extensive legal processes to enter the United States," USA TODAY reported. CONTRIBUTING Joey Garrison, Francesca Chambers, and Kinsey Crowley SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters
USA Today
05-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump's travel ban is his fourth attempt. See how list compares to 2017
Trump's travel ban is his fourth attempt. See how list compares to 2017 President Donald Trump ordered a travel ban on June 4, barring residents of 12 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, from entering the United States as a risk to national security. The ban takes effect on June 9. Partial restrictions were imposed against citizens of seven other nations. It was the first travel ban issued by Trump in his second presidential term. Trump ordered three travel bans against predominantly Muslim nations during his first administration. Those bans were contested in federal district and appeals courts. The Supreme Court upheld Trump's third travel ban in June 2018. Trump later expanded that ban by adding six nations in January 2020. A review of the 12 nations banned on June 4 shows half have been targeted in previous bans. Here's what USA TODAY found: Which nations did Trump ban or restrict? Can't view our graphics? Click here to see them. Lower courts overturned the first two bans for apparent religious or racial motivations, before the Supreme Court upheld the third ban in 2018. Then-President Joe Biden repealed the ban in 2021. More: Trump issues new travel ban affecting nearly 20 countries: What travelers need to know Which nations have been targeted in current and previous travel bans? Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen have been specified in past travel bans. The ban on June 4 included Eritrea, which Trump included in his expanded list of targeted nations in 2020. Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Myanmar, and the Republic of Congo have not been singled out in previous bans. Countries subject to US travel restrictions on multiple occasions Travel restrictions do not apply to those: Possessing visas that have already been granted. Lawful permanent residents. Certain athletes. Immediate family members of current visa holders. Other classes of individuals for whom the administration granted exceptions. The International Refugee Assistance Project, a group that sued Trump in 2017, criticized the new ban as arbitrary for making exceptions for athletes traveling to the U.S. for sporting events such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, "while closing the door to ordinary people who've gone through extensive legal processes to enter the United States," USA TODAY reported. CONTRIBUTING Joey Garrison, Francesca Chambers, and Kinsey Crowley SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters
Axios
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
What to know about Trump's new travel bans
President Trump is again prioritizing travel bans, furthering his administration's crackdown on unauthorized immigration. The big picture: Trump's first term travel bans caused immediate confusion, humanitarian concern and were slammed as discriminatory. The bans, announced Wednesday, go into effect on Monday, contrasting with his first administration when they started with minimal notice. What they're saying: "The restrictions in this proclamation are country specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information," Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement. The recent attack in Boulder, Colorado, underscored "dangers" of immigrants who overstay visas, Jackson added. Egypt, where suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman is from, was not on the travel ban list. State of play: Trump fully restricted and limited entry from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. He also partially restricted and limited entry from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. "Today's proclamation weaponizes and distorts immigration laws to target people that the president dislikes and disagrees with – and it does so based primarily on racial and religious animus," Stephanie Gee, senior director of U.S. legal services at the International Refugee Assistance Project, said in a statement. Zoom in: Syria, Iraq, North Korea and Nigeria were included in Trump's first-term travel bans, but excluded so far from this administration's. Many of Trump's first-term targets were countries with predominantly Muslim populations. Several on the new list are also Muslim-majority nations, but the administration said this term's bans are based on visa overstay rates. Yes, but: Trump's list captures some of the most egregious overstay offenders, but omits others, AP reported. Trump's first-term travel bans Trump enacted four iterations of travel bans during his first term: In January 2017, Trump banned travel to the U.S. for 90 days for citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. He also suspended the resettlement of all Syrian refugees. In March 2017, he rescinded the original ban, taking Iraq off the ban list and lifting the indefinite suspension for Syrian refugees. In September 2017, the third iteration replaced the second one, removing Sudan from the list and barring certain nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen and Somalia. Travel restrictions on Chad were removed the following year. In January 2020, Trump expanded the third ban to include Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania. The Supreme Court in June 2018 ruled 5-4 to allow a third version of the executive order to go into force. It expanded the list of barred travelers to include some Venezuelan and North Korean nationals. Between the lines: "The travel bans of the Trump administration's first term never demonstrated any meaningful value as a national security tool," Jeremy Robbins, executive director of the American Immigration Council, said.
Hindustan Times
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Trump v. Hawaii: Explaining case cited in new US travel ban order affecting Cuba and Haiti
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a proclamation imposing travel restrictions on 19 countries, including a complete ban on nationals from 12 countries. The affected nations include Cuba and Haiti. The White House cited the Trump vs Hawaii (2018) as a legal precedent in its latest press release. The proclamation, enacted under Executive Order 14161, fully bans entry from 12 nations and partially restricts seven, including Cuba (partial) and Haiti (full), to combat terrorism and national security risks. Trump v. Hawaii upheld the president's authority to restrict entry, a ruling central to the new ban's justification. Trump v. Hawaii (585 US 667) challenged Proclamation No. 9645, Trump's third travel ban, issued on September 24, 2017. It restricted entry from eight countries (Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen), citing deficient vetting and security risks. Hawaii, the International Refugee Assistance Project, and others sued, alleging the ban violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the First Amendment's Establishment Clause by targeting Muslims. The case centered on whether the president's authority under INA Section 212(f) (8 U.S.C. § 1182(f))—allowing suspension of entry for foreigners deemed 'detrimental' to US interests—was lawful and whether the ban was motivated by anti-Muslim bias. On June 26, 2018, in a 5-4 decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court upheld the ban. The majority ruled: Presidential Authority: Section 212(f) grants the president broad discretion to suspend entry when national security is at stake, supported by a worldwide review of vetting processes. No Religious Discrimination: The ban was facially neutral, based on security concerns, not anti-Muslim animus, despite Trump's campaign statements. The Court applied rational basis review, finding the ban had a 'legitimate purpose." Dissent: Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, dissented, arguing the ban was rooted in anti-Muslim rhetoric, violating the Establishment Clause, and drawing parallels to Korematsu v. United States (1944). The 2025 proclamation relies on Trump v. Haiti to justify restrictions under Section 212(f), citing the same authority upheld in 2018. The new ban targets countries like Haiti (31.38% B1/B2 visa overstay rate) and Cuba (state sponsor of terrorism) for inadequate vetting and security risks.
